Edward H. Warren, a former Oregon Court of Appeals judge known for a serious courtroom demeanor during nearly two decades on the panel, died Friday, his wife said. He was 80.
Jeanne Warren, his wife of 26 years, said her husband died of congestive heart failure.
Warren's wife described him as being a beautiful writer with a dry wit, shy personality and knack for gourmet cooking. She said he was a careful listener in the courtroom and adored his work.
"I have never seen anyone love a job as much as he loved that job," said Jeanne Warren, speaking by phone from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the couple spent part of the year since the judge retired in 1999.
Warren was born in Portland, where he attended Washington High School, Portland State University and Northwestern College of Law. He later practiced appellate law, ran for the state appeals court and served in that capacity until his retirement, his wife said.
She said one of his most well-known cases was presiding over the appeal of a damage award against a white supremacist and the White Aryan Resistance, who incited Skinheads to kill an Ethiopian student, according to UPI and Oregonian archives. The court rejected Tom Metzger's appeal of the $12.5 million verdict.
Jeanne Warren said her late husband has two biological children, both Portland residents. She has two children who live in Florida and southern California.
She said her husband's former wife lives in Portland and that he has a brother in Washington and a half-sister in California.
Jeanne Warren said she and her husband tended to bonsai trees and that he enjoyed Japanese flower arranging, haiku, golf, fishing, language and writing. Cooking Mexican food was one of Warren's specialties, she said.
There will be a celebration of life next summer in Portland or Salem, she said.
-- Jim Ryan
jryan@oregonian.com
503-221-8005; @Jimryan015